justify

Justify is a verb with several related meanings. In argument and reasoning, to justify something is to show that it is right, reasonable, or necessary; to provide evidence or reasons that support a claim, action, or decision. The noun form justification refers to the evidence or reasoning offered, and justified or justifiable describe something as warranted. In law, economics, and everyday discourse, justification is the process of establishing a basis for a decision or policy.

In typography, to justify text is to adjust the spacing so that lines align with both the left and right margins, creating even right and left edges. This is known as full justification; alternatives include left justification (ragged right) and right justification (ragged left). Full justification can improve page appearance but may create uneven word spacing and rivers of whitespace on some lines; hyphenation and word-wrapping strategies can mitigate these effects.

In philosophy and epistemology, justification concerns the reasons or evidence that support a belief. A belief is considered justified if its supporting reasons are appropriate and adequate given the context, though the status of justification in relation to knowledge has been a topic of extensive debate.

Common usage: to justify a decision means to argue that it is warranted, or to defend actions by presenting evidence. People may also justify themselves when asked to explain or defend their conduct. Related terms include justification, justificatory, and justifiedness.